The invention relates to a navigation technique, and more particularly to a technique for navigation subject to user preferences.
Recently, navigation systems based on global positioning system (GPS) technology were developed for use in an automobile. Such navigation systems are capable of receiving signals from a constellation of satellites which is part of the GPS. Based on the received signals, one such navigation system identifies the automobile""s location, e.g., in latitude and longitude. The navigation system also detects the automobile""s speed and direction. With geographic information stored in an on-board computer in the automobile, the navigation system is capable of audio-visually communicating to a user instructions for reaching a given destination.
Similarly, a GPS navigation device in hand-held form enables a user carrying the device to monitor his/her planned route leading to a given destination. Nowadays, in general, hand-held devices for information organization and communications are popular and have been proliferating. For example, use of cellular phones for communications is ubiquitous. Use of personal data assistants (PDAs), e.g., PALM type hand-held devices, is equally ubiquitous for organizing personal information including meeting schedules, telephone listing, address information, etc. More recently, hand-held communicators emerged which have cellular communication and modem facilities integrated into a PDA, thereby enabling a user to communicate data in a wireless manner, e.g., to send and receive email, and to upload and download information from websites via the Internet.
Traditionally, a navigation device, e.g., a GPS navigation system used in an automobile, provides a user with directions to a given destination. The navigation typically provides the shortest navigated route in terms of distance to the given destination. However, we have expanded the concept of the traditional navigation to broadly include providing a navigated route subject to user preferences, together with information concerning facilities and events surrounding the navigated route for the user""s convenience. The navigated route is selected to satisfy a trip""s purpose. Such a trip""s purpose may be (1) to reach a given destination as in prior art, and/or (2) to perform certain tasks enroute or at the destination, which may include purchasing business supplies, shopping for gifts, dining, obtaining entertainments, etc. To realize (2), the navigator arrangement in accordance with the invention allows for storage of user profiles including user preferences such as preferred types of restaurants, shops, entertainments, etc.
In accordance with an aspect of the invention, each user profile corresponds to one of the user""s personal. For example, the user business profile corresponding to the user""s business persona may be different from the user personal profile corresponding to his/her personal persona. For instance, the user business profile may include fine-dining type restaurants for business meetings while the user personal profile may instead include fast-food type restaurants for personal dining. Thus, the navigator arrangement in accordance with the invention provides a navigated route, together with information concerning the favorite facilities and events surrounding the navigated route, which satisfy the preferences in a selected user profile.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the user can adopt a second person""s profile for a trip""s purpose particular to that second person, thereby temporarily assuming the second person""s persona to achieve such a trip""s purpose.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the invention, the actual navigated route selected by the inventive navigator arrangement may depend on the mode of transportation specified by the user. For example, driving and walking are two different modes of transportation. The selected route for driving may be very different from that for walking, even though they may accomplish the same trip""s purpose. The routes from which the inventive navigator arrangement selects for driving have to be passable by an automobile, which exclude, e.g., foot bridges, and walk paths through buildings, parks, fields, forests, etc. On the other hand, the routes from which the inventive navigator arrangement selects for walking have to be safe to pedestrians, which exclude, e.g., highways, freeways, etc.
In accordance with still yet another aspect of the invention, the actual route selected by the inventive navigator arrangement may also depend on external conditions, e.g., traffic, weather and road conditions. Thus, based on the information concerning such external conditions received from, say, a server via the Internet, the inventive navigator arrangement selects the most time-efficient route, e.g., one that requires the least travel time, to accomplish the trip""s purpose despite-any adverse traffic, weather and road conditions.
In accordance with a further aspect of the invention, a user may prescribe one or more roadblocks specifying certain prohibited areas or paths from which the route selected by the inventive navigator arrangement deviates. For example, it may be sensible to place roadblocks around high crime areas especially when the user is new in town and unfamiliar with those areas. A roadblock may be permanent or temporary. For example, a temporary roadblock may be placed on certain streets where a parade is held which lasts for several hours. Similar to a roadblock, a blockade may be imposed to block transmission of certain information to the inventive navigator arrangement which concerns, e.g., uninteresting facilities or events.